18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 55

There were so many people crammed into the space and the pouring rain was making visibility poor. Stella had also tried to adjust her position in the crowd. But somehow, he still saw through her.

Stella laughed, pretending to be clueless.

"Pulling back the shoulders, leaning forward when lifting the gun, and slightly bending the elbows."

As Jasper gave his lesson, Stella took it to heart, ready to practice when she got home.

Without saying a word, they both understood each other, and no one asked further questions.

...

After the gunshot, the apartment building fell into a heavy silence. No one dared to mess with the people from the 18th floor again.

Life had to go on. Being cooped up in the room all day was driving everyone crazy. Cody and Lukas, full of confidence with their biceps grown, knocked on the door of 1801 to invite Jasper to go out and search for supplies.

The water level was rising steadily, and they had lost hope for the rain to stop. This was the end of the world. Who knew what they would face next? Supplies were being consumed every day, which made people anxious.

Jasper agreed, and Rosie insisted on going as well. Cooper, the sneaky mutt, was quick to join in, barking his consensus.

Cooper had become quite the seasoned dog. He had his own thoughts and intentions, and Stella knew he couldn't be contained. So she said to her dog,"Take care of yourself."

Cooper went back to his room and pulled out his protective gear and doggy raincoat. He was ready for his mission. His owner just needed to help him gear up.

Stella couldn't help but laugh as she dressed him, teasing, "Oh my, my little pup is going to earn his keep again."

With a proud and shy expression, Cooper seemed to say, 'Wait for me, I'll bring back some meat!’

Watching them leave from the balcony, Stella took out a purple mink fur coat, measured it, and planned to make a coat for Cooper.

The rain continued to fall, and the weather was noticeably colder. Stella sensed that a harsh winter was on its way.

Compared to the flood, the extreme cold was a true killer.

Cooper, a robust German Shepherd, could adapt to any harsh environment. But Stella was still worried. The extreme cold could reach minus sixty or seventy degrees. Even if humans bundled up like bears, they might not survive. And Cooper was only a fur-covered dog.

Thinking about how he had suffered from frostbite in his previous life, Stella's heart was in pain. This time, she was determined to prevent him from suffering that pain again.

Angela stopped by and was surprised to see Stella making a coat out of the fur. "For Cooper?"

"Yeah, I feel like it's getting colder these days. I was even woken up by the cold last night." Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

Stella hinted, "First it was the hurricane, now it's been raining for over two months. Who knows what kind of weather we'll face next? We're lucky we're in the south where it doesn't get very cold, unlike the north where temperatures can drop to minus tens of degrees."

"True. If it were any other year, it would already be snowing in the north."

"Do you think the north is also flooding?" Stella wondered. "Now that it's winter, could it be covered in ice and snow?"

Angela didn't dare to think about it. That would be a living hell.

"Griffith never gets cold. I was still wearing short sleeves last winter. I wonder how it will be this year?" Stella further reminded her of that. "I have a feeling it might be much colder than last year."

Angela had a bad feeling about it. "Even if it does get cold, we've stocked up on clothes and firewood, so we should be fine."

While they were talking, Angela remembered something important. "Stella, the people in this building are scared now, but who knows what they'll do in the future. You should split up your supplies. In case the 18th floor gets breached, you won't lose everything."

It was Cody who had thought of this. They had acted immediately, tearing open the ceiling of the kitchen and bathroom, sealing the food and medicine, and hiding them in several places. Not just the ceiling, they also used the exhaust fan duct and the toilet tank.

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket," Angela advised. "When Cody and Lukas come back, let them help you."

"Aren't you afraid of mice?"

Angela was stunned. "Better mice than people, right? But still, we need to find some rat poison or sticky rat traps."

"Good idea. I'll try it too."

Stella appreciated the wisdom of the residents of room 1803. "What if I hollow out the sofa? I bet I could hide food in there."

Angela’s eyes widened. Why hadn't they thought of that!

Saying goodbye to Angela, Stella continued tailoring the fur. There were quite a few scraps left, so she decided to make something for Smoky and Snowy as well. Both of them had thick coats, and Snowy was about to have her second litter. Stella wasn't sure if they could survive the extreme cold.

For the sake of their meat supply, Stella hoped they would survive. If not, they would have to be stewed. Everything depended on their luck.

She brought both of them over, measured them, and compared them to the fabric. It was so warm to hold their fluffy bodies.

Their diet must have improved because they seemed to have bulked up a bit. Especially Snowy, her belly was round and plump. She must be carrying quite a few bunnies.

After successfully modifying the three fur coats, Stella felt more confident about her skills.

But fur coats alone weren't enough. Arcadia had quite a few fabrics in stock, and she picked some warm ones to make a few more pieces for them.

She went into Arcadia to rummage around, picked up two bundles of fabric, and was about to leave when she accidentally saw the thermal clothes that cost 19.8 million. She casually picked it up, deciding to try this thermal clothing.

She had to admit that it was quite comfortable. The fabric was soft and felt like silk against her skin. The sizing was a bit large, so Stella planned to use it as a nightgown.

But as she was about to take it off, she noticed something strange. With the rain and the drop in temperature, today's temperature was around 21 degrees. She was wearing a casual hoodie, but she could still feel the chill.

This thin fabric, however, made her feel warm. The soft fabric wrapped around her body like a biological membrane. It felt warmer than her hoodie.

Could it really maintain a constant temperature?

The temperature in Arcadia was higher than outside, so she quickly stepped inside. As expected, the warm feeling disappeared, but the comfort and freedom remained. When she stepped outside again, the warmth returned. This was indeed a piece of high-tech thermal clothing.

Stella thought about it. When she had bought it, she hadn't noticed anything special about it, probably because the temperature difference wasn't significant.

She put on the thermal clothing and turned on the gas stove, holding her hand above the flame.

She could feel the heat on her palm and arm, but the heat on her arm was significantly less than the heat on her palm.

The thermal property was real, even if it couldn’t maintain a constant 25 degrees. To create this kind of fabric was a remarkable achievement.

If not for this disaster, once this fabric hit the market, it would cause a technological revolution. 19.8 million was indeed worth it.

The thermal fabric was 10 rolls. The quantity was very small, but as long as she used it sparingly, even if the extreme weather continued indefinitely, it would be enough to last her a lifetime.

She decided to make two sets for herself, two for Cooper, and use the scraps for Smoky and Snowy.

Not just clothes, but also gloves, socks, and scarves, which cost a lot of fabric.

The thermal clothing Stella had was worth a fortune, so she was unwilling to waste even a thread of it. She rummaged through information she had downloaded on various life skills and successfully found a tutorial on fashion design and tailoring. She learned the basics and practiced with other fabric.

After a few days of interruption, Katie resumed her treatment on the 18th floor. It wasn't that she wanted to stop, but the showdown had a significant impact, and several more of the injured and infected had died.

No one dared to mess with the people from the 18th floor, but many harbored resentment, believing all this chaos was caused by them. If the people from the 18th floor were willing to share their food, the tragic events of that day would never have happened.

Katie spoke earnestly, "Stella, people's hearts have been corrupted by these hard times. You all need to be very careful in the future."